Call routing systems and call centers are commonly used for a variety of purposes, such as customer service and technical support. Call centers typically connect multiple agents or representatives to receive the calls, then route the calls based on the order they are received, as well as on information collected from the caller. For example, a caller might use the keypad of a telephone to select from a number of options in an automated system, then the call center will route the call to the next available representative based on the numeric input (e.g., a selection for technical support on a monitor issue versus a selection relating to billing).
While these systems are acceptable for many applications, they lack functionality that would be beneficial for other applications. For example, many of these systems do not allow for routing of multiple communication types, including video calls, video conferencing, and other such types. Further, these systems do not typically allow for mixing of communication types, such as allowing a video call to be routed to a non-video resource.
Many of these systems also do not build a significant level of “intelligence” into the routing of communications. In the example above, a caller to a call routing system might be forced to navigate through a series of options, in a tree-like structure, until the caller navigates to an end point in the structure, at which time the call is routed to the next available agent for that end point.
Further, many of these systems do not provide for routing of calls to distributed call agents, instead routing calls to a single call center or small number of call centers each housing a number of agents or representatives.
Further still, these systems typically do not allow for the setting of preferences for specific representatives. Most systems are used for a single entity, and simply route calls to an appropriate person in that entity. Where a system allows calls to be routed either in-house or to an external entity, the routing of the calls still typically is end-point based, where certain options are routed in-house and certain calls are routed to an external entity.
There also exists a business problem whereby some entities need to gain access or purchase interpretation or other such service resources, while other entities need an easy and effective way to provide or sell such services and resources. The entities obtaining and/or providing these services also may want some control over how the service providers are prioritized or selected for specific calls.
It therefore is desirable to provide a communication routing system that addresses these and other deficiencies in existing communications and routing systems.
It also is desirable to provide a marketplace of quality services whereby businesses can access or purchase services, as well as provide or sell services.
It also is desirable to provide a system whereby a business can optimize use of its own services using prioritized searching, such as by first searching for services offered locally or by a business, then searching successive layers of outside services or solutions.
It also is desirable to provide a way to generate additional income for a business by selling excess capacity of the services offered by that company.